Strengths and weaknesses of Program Verification Systems

Abstract

For over a decade, major research efforts have been directed at developing and applying Program Verification Systems. Particular examples are the Gypsy Verification Environment (at The University of Texas at Austin and Computational Logic, Inc.), and Affirm-85 (at General Electric, Schenectady, New York).

In this paper, I discuss the putative strengths and weaknesses of the current generation of verification systems, describe the characteristics of a system which can be developed at low technical risk, and then describe briefly a research effort, at I.P. Sharp Associates, to develop a new verification system called EVES.

Dan Craigen. Some Comments on Program Verification Systems. Position paper for “Symposium on Safety and Security”, Glasgow, Scotland, October 20–24, 1986. Proceedings to be published by Blackwells.Google Scholar